Taste of the theater has school librarian eager for more

Amy Isler is living her dream. She always had a passion for theater, but didn't have the courage to audition.

Last summer, Isler, of Bessemer, made her stage debut at the Red Barn Theatre. It was such a great experience, Isler is back again and plans to be as often as she can.

She is even enjoying the rehearsals for the light-hearted comedy "Sorry! Wrong Chimney!" which opens on Friday.

"The cast is so talented and they are all so funny," Isler said. "This play is all about mistaken identity, lots of funny moments."

Tammy Erkman, a multitalented veteran actress, is making her debut as a director.

"I just felt there comes a time to do it, and this was the time," Erkman said. "And it is going very well."

"Sorry! Wrong Chimney!" is set in New York during the Christmas season, so while the weather is hot, you can sit, laugh and think cool.

The story is complicated because there is a good Santa and a bad Santa. The good Santa keeps track of what toys good little girls and boys want for Christmas, and the bad Santa steals all the grown-ups' toys.

It is the story of David and Samantha, who are newly married, and of course, in love. David is playing Santa, the good Santa, listening to what children want for Christmas, but he's keeping it a secret so he can buy Samantha a spectacular gift. But keeping secrets can lead to a lot of fouled-up funny stuff, and that is what happens.

The characters also include the bad Santa, his gun-toting fiancee, a hypnotized policeman and some nosy neighbors.

Isler is playing Natalie, one of the nosy neighbors, who has to know everything that is going on.

"I'm definitely not a Natalie. I very much mind my own business, but that is what acting is, getting to be someone totally different," Isler said.

Isler, who was in all the musicals in high school, didn't have the courage to audition for plays after high school, but last year she talked herself into it. It was even more of a stretch for Isler because her main love is singing, and the plays she auditioned for are comedies.

"I knew I just had to try it. The timing was right. I have the summers off, my daughters are older. I'm 44 and so by then, things just roll off my back. I had to try," Isler said.

Isler attended the Red Barn auditions and did a cold read, which means she and others read from a script without any rehearsal.

"People were welcoming and warm. They were so friendly. I was immediately calm and comfortable," Isler said.

"I am so impressed with the people at the Barn. Many have raised their children in this theater atmosphere, and they have grown up, auditioned, and acted," Isler said.

As the mother of two daughters - Megan Linger, 15, and Lauren Linger, 12 - Isler enjoys the family atmosphere of the Red Barn Theatre. Megan and Lauren often come to rehearsals with their mom and have helped paint sets and work in the snack bar. They, too, are interested in theater.

Isler is the elementary school librarian for Mohawk Area School District.

As a child, Isler was introduced to theater by her parents, who took her to Pittsburgh concert halls, where she saw the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera perform along with dozens of other shows. The love and passion for theater have always been there.

Now Isler has fulfilled her desire to be a part of it.

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